By Gabi Zupancic

The Plaid Horse caught up with Tyler Hardin after a very exciting FEI Children’s Jumper Finals competition in Bogata, Columbia.  Tyler is the 12 year old daughter of Kristin Hardin, a well known Grand Prix rider. “Yes, my mom knows how to point me in the right direction” said Hardin when asked how her mothers experience helps her in the show ring.  She lives with her parents in Cuyama, California along with her horses, dogs, cat and goats. She shares the love of horses with her family.

Hardin’s mother, Kristin, has a friend that works at the show in Columbia and after rescheduling some things, Tyler was able to participate in this exciting event. When asked how this event differed from showing in the U.S., Hardin said the show was a change because riders were given horses to ride.  She also mentioned that the show was more relaxed and riders rode in a less formal style than in the U.S. The competition was organized into groups. Riders qualified for either group and the final day determined their placing.  Prior days did not have a cumulative effect.

Hardin said that her first day was “iffy”. She had a couple of rails. Her second day was great with a win in her class that placed her in the A group. After that, she said she had a “good” final round.

Riding abroad is an interesting and exciting opportunity. Asked how it felt to win on an International Level, Tyler replied, “It was fun going to the show and having a good horse to ride. The showplace is safe and fun and the horse show people were very helpful.”

We really enjoyed catching up with Tyler about this exciting accomplishment and look forward to the future for this young rider.